娱乐英语新闻:Report: Jackson doctor administered deadly drug

BEIJING, July 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Michael Jackson's personal physician administered the powerful anesthetic propofol that authorities believe killed the singer, U.S. media reported Tuesday, quoting an unnamed law-enforcement source.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing, said Dr. Conrad Murray gave propofol to Jackson the night before his death. The singer had reportedly been receiving the powerful drug to help him sleep.

Pop star Michael Jackson rehearses for his planned shows in London at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California in this handout photo taken June 23, 2009.

    Murray, 51, has been identified in court papers as the subject of a manslaughter investigation and authorities last week raided his office and a storage unit in Houston. Police say Murray is cooperating and have not labeled him a suspect.

    Murray's lawyer, Edward Chernoff, has insisted that the doctor didn't prescribe or administer anything that killed Jackson.

    Murray became Jackson's personal physician in May and was to accompany him to London for a series of concerts starting in July. He was called to Jackson's house on June 24 and was the person who found him unconscious, not breathing in bed the next day.

File photo taken on November 14, 1996 shows Michael Jackson and Deborah Rowe in California, U.S.

Police searching Jackson's home after his death found propofol and other drugs, an IV line and three tanks of oxygen in Jackson's bedroom, and 15 more oxygen tanks in a security guard's shack, media reports said.

    Propofol is a short-acting, intravenous, nonbarbiturate sedative typically used for the induction of anesthesia and sedation in medical contexts. Typically used in a hospital or clinic, it is rarely allowed outside such medical locations. Although approved for use in all 50 states, the potency of propofol is considered dangerous if not used correctly.

Michael Jackson performs during a Victory Tour concert in Toronto, in this October 5, 1984 file photo